The monitoring of physiological data during an exercise session is desirable for many applications. In the case of a physical fitness program the monitoring of the participant's vital signs such as heartbeat, breathing, etc. can provide an indication of the level of exertion that the participant is achieving. By monitoring the physiological data, a supervisor of the exercise session can insure that the participant is not over exerting himself or herself. The supervisor can also insure that the exercise level of the participant is at an adequate level for his or her physical condition.
After in-hospital treatment, cardiac or orthopedic patients are normally required to participate in a rehabilitation program that includes physical exercises normally conducted under supervision of a therapist or other medical personnel. The therapist in cooperation with the treating doctor establishes what needs to be done to improve a patient's mobility after surgery and to strengthen the patient after a heart attack so that he or she can return to a normal life as soon possible. Under current programs, the coronary patient is forced to return to the hospital periodically to engage in a rehabilitation procedure. Typically this involves the patient using an exercise device such as an exercise bicycle while being monitored by a therapist. In general, monitoring is provided by ECG electrodes attached to the patient. The ECG data are transmitted to a local monitoring station via wire or more commonly by an RF (radio frequency) transmission link. In particular, the patient wears a transmitter which transmits the ECG data to a receiver at the monitor station. The data is displayed graphically on a screen forming part of the station. The therapist or operator visually monitors the ECG data as displayed on the screen. In some systems, the operator is in verbal communication with the patient and may instruct the patient to adjust his or her work output based on the data being received at the station. For example, the operator may instruct the patient to increase his or her work output by increasing his or her own effort or alternately by changing the load being applied by the exercise device. In the case of an exercise bicycle, the patient may be instructed to increase the loading of the cycle or alternately to increase his or her pedaling effort. As should be apparent, the equipment and professional time involved in a rehabilitation program can be very expensive. Moreover, patients can find it very inconvenient to travel back to the hospital several times a week for the rehabilitation therapy. It has been found, that this rather expensive equipment can be under utilized since many patients fail to return to the hospital for their appointed therapy session due to inconvenience or other factors.
Systems have been suggested for at least partially alleviating some of the above identified problems. For example, a system has been proposed for remotely monitoring a cardiac rehabilitation session. In the suggested system, the exercise device is located at a remote location such as the patient's home. The patient is connected to the monitoring station over a standard telephone line. The patient attaches the ECG electrodes to himself before beginning the session. The output of the electrodes are connected to an interface device that transmits the ECG data over a telephone line to the operator. In addition, the patient wears a head set by which the patient can communicate with the operator for at least a part of the therapy session. In the suggested system, the telephone line is used to transmit either ECG data or voice data but not both at any given moment in time.